MP Speedway pays homage to home town hero

@jimlahdeHow much information does one need to take in to be informed about a given subject?

Well, basically it comes down to the subject that is being studied and the various properties that comprise it.

In this instance the it in question happens to be dirt track racing in mid-Michigan and more accurately dirt track racing at Mt. Pleasant Speedway.

Since the track opened in 1988 there have been a few constants out there watching on a weekly basis, people in the know so to speak.

One of those constants was former Morning Sun colleague Jeremy Dickman, a man who studied every aspect of racing in his hometown and a man who used this knowledge for the betterment of the sport within the community.

On Sunday afternoon he was remembered as Mt. Pleasant Speedway played host to the Jeremy ‘Jake’ Dickman Xtreme 100, an event that featured a 100-lap UMP Modified feature and two 25-lap features in Street Stocks and Pro Stocks.

By 2 p.m. the pits were starting to fill in nicely as racers from around the state made their way to mid-Michigan in an attempt to earn some cash all while paying homage to Dickman and his contributions to the sport.

Dickman died unexpectedly at the age of 39 in March of 2012, yet his contributions to the sport he loved live on and Sunday was a day to celebrate exactly that.

Unlike most races at the track, and tracks throughout the state, there was a new twist to this year’s event in that all the racers had to qualify for each feature rather than draw their place within a given race.

This fact was a direct product of Dickman’s passion for qualifying as it was something he loved watching and studying.

When his wife Debbie Dickman, along with plenty of help from Chris Ryan, put together the logistics of this year’s race they wanted to add qualifying and thusly did.

“Jake liked it because he liked to see the drivers give it their all,” said Debbie Dickman.“He got out here real early just to see them qualify with a pad of paper and he would watch every single car take every single lap. He wrote everything down because racing out here was his thing. Also if he had never seen a driver, he took notes and learned everything he could about that driver.”

Hall of Fame announcer Leo Pego, who is another person in the know when it comes to mid-Michigan racing, was walking around the pits in the hours prior to Sunday’s races with a notebook and pen in his hand doing the very same thing.

On the pad of paper there were extensive notes and lists and when asked about qualifying and what it brings to the table he had plenty to say.

“I’ve already learned a lot just this afternoon from walking around here,” Pego said. “I figure out their home towns, where they ran at last night, where their home track is and who’s leading there. I meet them and wish them the best of luck. As the track announcer that’s my job, to find these things out so I can inform the crowd.

“Jeremy was a big fan of cars that got a chance to qualify here and that’s part of the reason why we’re qualifying today. We don’t qualify every week, we have a draw system here where drivers come up and draw a number and that’s the position they’re supposed to be in when their division is up. There’s a lot that goes into qualifying and a lot of tracks have gotten away from it. I think it adds excitement which might be the incentive to break the track record, maybe have bragging rights of who has the fastest time. Some people are good at qualifying and some are lucky with the draw system, it depends.”

To the racers themselves qualifying offers up a rare chance to take some quick notes about the competition which isn’t the norm nowadays.

“In Michigan we’re not used to qualifying, but there are places where we have,” said Ionia 22-year old Modified racer Travis Stemler, who ranks fourth in the state UMP Modified rankings and third at Mt. Pleasant in points. “It can throw a ringer into the works if you’re not used to it, but then again it can also help if they do inverts and stuff like that because you don’t have to set the world on fire. I think it’s a good deal because sometimes with the draw you get a couple cars in front of you that might cause you to do something you don’t normally do.We always watch the track and the cars out there to kind of get used to their patterns of racing. You can see someone who keeps the car straight and you can see someone who might be all over the track. That helps you in the race because I will know where they’re going to go and where I need to go to be safe and keep the car in one piece. It’s good to know who the competition is once the green flag drops.”

Mt. Pleasant’s Rich Robinson Jr., who is second in overall points at Mt. Pleasant and third in the state rankings in the UMP Modified division added to the point, “qualifying is very important, you need to know who’s here because obviously there’s going to be a lot of good drivers and competition. It helps to know who you’re up against and get a strategy. You have to pay attention to it, who places where along with the track conditions.”

Qualifying aside, in the end the main reason the racers and fans were in attendance Sunday was to watch some great racing action and remember Dickman.

“We are here and Jeremy is the main reason we’re here,” added Stemler.“We’re out here to support him and his family through this event and will every year they host it. He’s a great guy who would do anything for anybody. Hopefully we can bring it home for him.”